People who live, or have been to Manchester, NH (Auburn: apartment, crime)
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I'm considering moving to Manchester, NH, but I have a couple questions...
1) What is the most diverse area?
2) Is there much of a night life? If so, what is there to do?
3) Is there a "gang problem" that I've read a couple places?
4) Are there a lot of taxis? Hows the bus system?
P.S. Just for the record, I'm not planning on raising a family. The reason for moving is I will be going to college soon and I'm thinking about attending in Manchester.
One very important question- where would you be coming from? It's important to know so that you can get an apples-apples comparison to where you are familiar with as opposed to an apples-oranges comparison.
It looks to me that from year to year in Manchester you are less likely to be the victim of a crime and will probably have a higher income (if you take a random sample).
Having been (only on day trips) to both cities; I'd say they are roughly on even terms... Portland is larger/on the ocean so for me as a tourist there seemed to be more to do...but Manchester has activities as well and my wife has made some friends our age in the city (we're in our late 20s). Additionally if you really wanted a wild night- you could get into center-city Boston in around an hour from Manchester (off-hours).
Sorry that I cannot answer more of your questions...but I figured the "safety/gang" issue would be a pretty big one to address.
Coming from Saco ME, can you stop at Georges in Biddeford and bring me a ham/salami Italian? j/k, but those Italian Sandwiches seem to be such a Biddeford/Saco hit (DH is from Biddeford, but I digress...)
There is not the amount of night life that you would find in say, Old Port. There are a number of different clubs in Manchester, but I can't honestly say what sort of crowed each of them attracts. Manchester feels much smaller in area than Portland, and I would think about the same amount of diversity.
I'm in Manchester on a fairly regular basis, and have to say that I've never felt unsafe, even when driving alone. A few weeks ago I was out with some friends in Manchester, and we had a long walk to get to our cars. Near midnight, walking on the side streets from Elm Street, there were a number of other walkers, no issues, no problems. Would I do this same walk along? No, but that's just being smart, I wouldn't walk alone much of anywhere in ANY city at that time of night...
I would suggest that you check out The Hippo (Hippo - News and Culture Weekly) for more info on what's happening in Manchester.
I'm considering moving to Manchester, NH, but I have a couple questions...
1) What is the most diverse area?
2) Is there much of a night life? If so, what is there to do?
3) Is there a "gang problem" that I've read a couple places?
4) Are there a lot of taxis? Hows the bus system?
P.S. Just for the record, I'm not planning on raising a family. The reason for moving is I will be going to college soon and I'm thinking about attending in Manchester.
Thanks!
1.
not sure what you mean by diverse area , do you mean like social, political , rich /poor religion, views etc or all of it???
The census website could give you more on the demographics and the make up of the city
2.
There are some nightclubs but I would say it is best for you to go as people have different views on what pubs are good and bad
3.
It's a city and gangs are nothing like say CA .
4. Yes there are taxis and public transportation
You are not that far from there so it would probably be best if you got a place for the weekend and looked around as only you can judge say the nightlife for yourself
good luck on your future and decision for college, it's a big step in life
Last edited by proud American; 08-26-2008 at 12:30 PM..
I experienced the "zoo" times down on Union and Auburn, Cedar and Spruce Streets. That whole area was biker territory for a few years when the actual Zoo bar was still open. I was young at the time tho, roughly 11-14 during that time. Last I knew their was a convenience store at the location were the Zoo bar was.
After the zoo bar closed down. the crime-rate in Manchester fell a bit. They really didnt get rid of most of the "bad apples" until the Auburn, Spruce and Cedar blocks were literally condemned from Union Streets north past Beech and Maple and most of the apartment buildings were empty for over a year. It also did not help that during the same time the housing crunch happened during the early 90s and turned Elm Street into a ghost town. Most of the businesses that were on Elm St. moved to South Willow.
However, after all that...Manchester rebounded. Most was in part to the reinvention of the Mill Yards into restaurants and various small businesses and also the expansion of the Airport. Their was an economic boom in Manchester soon after during the late 90s...thx in part to smart business planning and a great overall economy (Clinton years).
Just before I left Manchester and moved to Florida. The Verizon Wireless Arena had JUST been completed and the minor league ballpark @ Singer Field was still on the drawing board.
I have heard from personal friends of mine that still live in ManchVegas that crime has gone up...but not to the point where you have police choppers and swat teams on your street every night. Its one of those cities where....when their is a big social event (parade, concert, etc)...like over a weekend for example...crime tends to go up for that evening. The recent addition of the many bars and restaurants on Elm Street are a good and bad thing. Its good for the local economy...but it can also create problems on Saturday nights with drunks and partyhardys. All the crime is typical for a city with the ammenities that Manchester offers....but its is still much lower then most cities of the same size.
Since I have been in Florida, the longer I have been here the more I want to go back to N.H.. Florida's politics REALLY suck. I dont mean any particular political party....just the way the overall system works (or doesn't) down here. This state thrives on its probation system. Their is a very popular saying here in the Sunshine State....."Come on Vacation....leave on Probation." I mean it is soooo bad I am surprised that they do not put ppl on probation for jaywalking.....its THAT bad. The other thing is the system does not work. They put u on probation for really only 1 reason.....to make a profit. If you fall on hard times and cannot pay your monthly.....They violate you. Of course they DONT tell you that until its too late to fix it. Also, once you violate....they just put you back on probation so you can continue the vicious cycle. In N.H....if you for example, stole 300 dollars from your employer...and its the 1st time you ever stole anything. You of course would get fired from your job after you were caught and maybe pay a fine....and thats it...and you have a record. Here in Florida....all that happens AND you get 1 year probation....even if it is your first crime ever in your life. Heck their are ppl down here that are on probation for wearing their pants too low....talk about ridiculous. As far as crime comparisons. Heck, Manchester or even New Hampshire for that matter aint got NOTHIN' on Florida as far as crime goes. Crime in Florida is about as mainstream as the Orange Juice.
Last edited by anubis679; 10-16-2008 at 09:00 PM..
Having been (only on day trips) to both cities; I'd say they are roughly on even terms... Portland is larger/on the ocean so for me as a tourist there seemed to be more to do....
Manchester is actually quite a bit bigger than Portland--Portland maybe just seems so because the main downtown area has so much more going on and is much more lively and condensed.
I experienced the "zoo" times down on Union and Auburn, Cedar and Spruce Streets. That whole area was biker territory for a few years when the actual Zoo bar was still open. I was young at the time tho, roughly 11-14 during that time. Last I knew their was a convenience store at the location were the Zoo bar was.
I remember the zoo - went there a few times... It's funny because I was dragged there by friends and I didn't want to go because I had heard of the wild reputation of the club. I drove a harley for a long, long time until 1998.
As I got buzzed through the door (a bouncer checked you out before admitting you) there was a hue and a cry and my name rang out from around the room. It turns out that a lot of HS classmates were there! fun times...good times. The best halloween party I ever went to was held at the Zoo.
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Yes there are taxis and public transportation
